Angalankuruchi Blast: compensation sought

Villagers whose houses were damaged in an explosion at an illegal firecracker manufacturing unit, at the Collectorate on Monday seeking relief, and (right) a physically challenged man climbs down the staircase of Coimbatore Collectorate after submitting a petition.– Photos: K. Ananthan

A group of residents have sought compensation from the district administration for houses that were damaged in an explosion in a firecracker manufacturing unit at Angalankuruchi, near Pollachi.

Four persons, including a minor girl, were killed in the explosion that took place on Thursday.

In a petition submitted to District Collector Archana Patnaik during the public grievances redress meeting held at the Collectorate on Monday, Angalankuruchi panchayat president A. Ponmani, said that 34 houses were damaged in the blast.

C. Mahalakshmi, a teacher in a local government school, said that roofs of many houses had caved in, and walls too had collapsed. As most of these houses were damaged beyond repair, the residents demanded that compensation be paid to construct new houses.

‘Settle dues’

Fifteen drivers/owners of tourist cars have asked the district administration to settle the dues for trips made by government officials on election duty.

In a petition, K. Vivekanandan, a car owner, said that nearly Rs. 4 lakh was pending disposal. The trips were made between April 12 and 15, and from April 20 to 25.

“One of the terms of tourist taxi permit is that we must accord priority to government service. Hence, we were unable to refuse the trips. Despite several weeks after the election, officials are yet to settle the dues and are not providing proper replies to our queries,” he added.

Water supply

K. Dinakaran, MLA, has asked the district administration to take steps to provide uninterrupted drinking water to city residents.

In a petition he said that the matter relating to Kerala halting water supply to Siruvani dam must be resolved immediately.

“Siruvani is vital to meet the drinking water needs of Coimbatore. Tamil Nadu Government must take up the matter with its Kerala counterparts immediately,” he added.

Excess fees

The Campus Front of India has asked the district administration to act against education institutions that collected fees in excess of the permitted levels.

In a petition, the organisation’s district president K. Peer Mohamed said that action must be taken against banks that failed to follow norms on disbursing educational loans.